ERIC EJ1081673: Self-Esteem Profile among the Female Futsal-Football Players at Jordanian Clubs

2015·0.23 MB·English

by  ERIC

Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.6, No.11, 2015

Self-Esteem Profile among the Female Futsal - Football Players at
Jordanian Clubs

Aman Khasawneh
School of Sport Management and Coaching, the Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan
E-mail of the corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract
This study aimed at identifying the level of physical and body self-esteem among the female futsal - football
players at Jordanian clubs. The sample of the study was composed of (38) female players among the Jordanian
clubs' players of futsal - football who were chosen randomly out of the study community, and the self-esteem
scale was used, consisting of (29) items measuring the body self and the physical self. The study revealed that
the level of self-esteem among the female futsal -football players was medium, and that the level of body and
physical self-esteem was medium as well. Also, the level of physical self-esteem was higher than the level of
body self-esteem among the female players.
Keywords: self-concept, self-esteem, physical self-esteem, body self - esteem, futsal

1. Introduction
Football is considered one of the team/group games which have a clear and distinct impact on different levels of
society, where it is considered the first popular game in the world that gains attention within the political and
sportive levels. It captures the largest part of the public attention and media if compared to another game (Abu
Farwah, 2004). But practicing football is no longer a male preserve given that the game has spread among the
females in many countries of the world. We see today several world championships especially organized for
women's football, and as a result of that spreading the game found its way in some Arab countries like (Jordan,
Egypt and others) where many Arab clubs adopted the game for females as part of the games they sponsor,
leading to the configuration of national teams and leagues specially for some Arab countries (Deeb, Al-orjan &
Al-kilani, 2009).
Self-esteem is considered one of the major dimensions of a broader and more comprehensive concept
which is self-concept, where self-esteem composes an important aspect and is closely related to. Self-concept
refers to the image formed by the individual himself/herself, and his/her assessment of that self (Abdul Haq,
2000).
Thus, self-concept is the foundation stone for building up the personality because of its specific
importance for understanding the individual's dynamics and his psychological compatibility. It also makes
individuals different from each other and makes them rare in their perception of the world around them (James,
2006).).
Self-concept which is acquired through social bringing-up and maturing is an individual self attribute
that distinguishes one person from the other. Expression of the self-concept term is conducted through the social
outcomes and the social power (Onur, 2000). According to Sayyar (2003), the term of self-concept is affected by
values and lifestyles of society and family, whereas self-esteem is a tendency by the individual to improve self-
concept, and it can develop through interaction and self-esteem, self-respect and confidence, and self-assessment.
According to Silverston and salsali (2003), the most important part of mental health is self-esteem because low
self-esteem causes psychological disorders.
High self-esteem is considered a positive attribute since it usually describes people who feel self-
satisfied and use effective techniques. On the other hand, low self-esteem is usually considered a negative
attribute because it describes people who don't feel self-satisfied and use ineffective techniques (Yigiter, 2013;
Betul, 2014).
So far, it is clear that the individual's behavior, personality and psychological structure are directly
connected to his growth stages and what comes after (Andrew, 1998). Thus, the individual's interest in his body
and capacity starts at an early age, in relation to gender. Hence, males start being interested in revealing their
strength and muscles, whereas females show interest in their attraction and femininity. Therefore, many studies
have moved like the study of (Al-Ansari, 2002; Sophia and Duncan, 2009). towards the society orientations of
these concerns. It has been revealed that girls prefer the perfect "thin" body, but they can't have self-esteem in
regard to body and physical aspects. Consequently, they would be unable to identify the type of activity or sport
they could practice so as to reach the stages of creativity. Scientific research has chosen recently to link self-
concept to the body, physical and skill aspects given that the body has an evident impact on the whole term of
self-concept. The study of (Kikhany, Khamas & Ebeed, 2006) revealed that there is a correlation between self-
concept, skills and psychological fluency. Also, the study of (Hassan, 2005) revealed the existence of correlation
between the body-self and the skill-self manifested in the serving, strike and block skills, whereas the findings of
103
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.6, No.11, 2015

the study conducted by (Al-Daher & Abd Al-Kareem, 2001) indicated the existence of a positive relationship
between body self-esteem and physical self-esteem among the female players of handball, whereas there was no
positive relationship between body self-esteem and physical self-esteem among the female players of volleyball.
On the other hand, the results of Schneider, Dunton and Cooper study (2008) showed that the physical activity is
considered a promotion means for improving self-concept, while DeBate, Pettee, Zwald, Huberty and Zhang
(2009) pointed out that the physical activity may produce changes helpful for self-esteem, satisfaction with the
body shape, commitment to body activities and repeating them among the adolescent girls participating in the
youth sportive programs. However Leanne and Anne (2009) indicated that the elite and competition groups
demonstrated physical competence and self-concept higher than the non-sportive groups. Also, the results of
James study (2006) indicated that the body and psychological self-concept and academic achievement self-
concept among women with high academic-achievement level were higher than that of women with low
academic-achievement level.
Andrew (1998) sees that self-concept is considered one of the major factors for explaining human
behavior, where self effectiveness affects thinking patterns, behaviors and emotional excitement. The higher the
level of self effectiveness, the higher the level of achievement, and then the previous failures will be limited as
well as the self-regulation of reflective responses.
Patrick, Mike and Lynda (2008) pointed out that self-concept is significantly related to the sportive
domain, including the body, physical and skill self. Based on the above emerges the importance of body and
physical self-concept as important dimensions for the positive-affecting self on human behavior, which offers the
individual self-confidence, the ability to face hard and emergency conditions, as well as defending its cognitive
regulations like sportive competitions. The need to have a sense of self-value is considered one of the most
important needs that provoke motives towards practicing sports.
Self-identity elements are derived from our interior unique strengths and from the different patterns we
follow so as to be able to cope with the obstacles we face. Hence, the possibility of practicing football by a
sample from the female community could help them acquire the sense of self-value and be more effective,
particularly within a society in which the majority may not accept females practicing such a sport.
Therefore, this study is important to be applied on a sample of Jordanian football clubs' female players
in an attempt to study the relevant psychological aspects within the sportive domain that are related to the body
and physical aspects, which could contribute to the positive advance of self-concept among females practicing
that game.

1.1 The statement of problem:
The perception of positive self-concept offers the individual self-confidence when dealing with others, and it
also plays a significant role in accomplishing sportive achievements. In contrast, the problem emerges when the
female's body shape doesn't fit what is relevant in our western societies. As we know, football sometimes
requires somehow rough bodies when compared to other sports practiced by girls on one hand, and the western
society acceptance of such a sport on the other. Consequently, that reflects negatively upon practicing that game
which causes lack in self-confidence and the ability to overcome the psychological struggle that weakens the
individual's mental compatibility, and then the difficulty in overcoming the problems that affect the individual's
behavior and performance level. Hence, the problem of the study emerges so as to ensure the existence of this
case, as well as through the researcher follow-up of the championships' scores in which these clubs and the
national team took part, especially the recent Asian championship. It was noticed that the levels were generally
weak, and that could be ascribed to the fact that practicing football on the level of Jordanian clubs is very recent
and it still gets less attention. That motivated the researcher to conduct such a study and identify this problem
which lies in the lack of reinforcing and promoting the concept of self-esteem, and that consequently reflects
negatively on their performance and achievement, with the necessity of finding suitable solutions for promoting
the game level. That could be achieved through the ongoing assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the
psychological preparation programs.

1.2 The study objectives:
This study aimed at achieving the following objectives:
• Identifying the level of body self-esteem among the female players of futsal-football in Jordanian clubs.
• Identifying the level of physical self-esteem among the female players of futsal-football in Jordanian
clubs.

2. Methodology:
2.1 Study design:
The descriptive approach was used in its survey-method because it suits the nature and goals of this study.

104
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.6, No.11, 2015

2.2 The sample:
The sample of the study was composed of (38) females who play fustal-football for Jordanian clubs, and who
were chosen randomly out of the study community that includes all Jordanian female football clubs registered in
the Jordanian Football Federation during the year 2013/2014.

2.3 The instrument:
Allawi's 2 scales were used for body self-esteem patterns and for physical self-concept where items were
modified to suit the nature of the research. The first scale was intended for measuring the individual's sportive
distinctive style regarding his self-esteem, and the second one was used to measure the individual's concept and
his distinct way in realizing his body. These scales were reviewed by a group of experts to examine their
suitability for the study sample.
The scale of body self-esteem contained (20) items, whereas the scale of physical self-esteem had only
(9) items, with a response that ranged through 5 levels (Strongly Agree, Agree, Agree Moderately, Little Agree,
Strongly Disagree). The scores of both scales range from (1-5), and the ultimate score for each scale is the total
score of all phrases. The following criteria were adopted to determine the levels of body and physical self-esteem,
as follows:
• Each item reaches a mean of 4.5 or higher is considered very high.
• Each item reaches a mean of 4.49-3.5 is considered high.
• Each item reaches a mean of 3.49- 2.5 is considered medium.
• Each item reaches a mean of 2.49- 1.5 is considered low.
• Each item reaches a mean less than 1.5 is considered very low.
2.3.1 Validity:
The validity of the Instrument was confirmed through the content, because the initial version of the questionnaire
was reviewed by 10 expert referees in order to judge its suitability, the clarity of its items and their linguistic
formulations, in addition to identifying the validity of each statement for the aspect it belongs to. In light of the
referees' observations and suggestions, appropriate adjustments were done so as the questionnaire has its final
form, consisting of (29) items.
2.3.2 Reliability:
The reliability of the Instrument was confirmed through interior consistency, where Pearson correlation
coefficient was calculated between each of the questionnaire items' scores and the entire score of the aspect they
belong to, as well as the entire score of the aspect with the final total. The correlation coefficient values ranged
from (.75 - .92), and they were all statistically significant at the significance level of (p ≤ 0.05). This indicates
that the questionnaire used has a high degree of interior consistency, as shown in table (1).
Table 1. Reliability coefficients for the study tool aspects
Aspect Reliability coefficient
Physical-self .82
Body-self .75
Total .92

2.4 Data analysis:
SPSS was used for processing data, where means, standard deviations, percentages and correlation coefficients
were calculated in order to achieve the study objectives.

3. Results and Discussion:
To achieve the first goal, which refers to “Identifying the level of body self-esteem among the female players of
futsal -football in Jordanian clubs", means, standard deviations and percentages were calculated as indicated in
table (2).

105
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.6, No.11, 2015

Table 2. Means, standard deviation and percentages for the items of the body self-esteem scale and the aspects as
a whole
No. Item Mean SD Percentage % rank
3 I feel confident whenever my body fitness is high. 4.53 0.65 90.53% Ist
18 I feel able to acquire the game skills fast. 4.18 0.73 83.68% 2nd
14 I feel proud of the game-related body capacities I acquire. 4.11 0.83 82.11% 3rd
12 I feel myself one of the distinguished players in my performance. 4.11 0.92 82.11% 3rd
24 Generally, I feel satisfied with my body status. 4.08 1.02 81.58% 5th
8 I feel I exert high body efforts to acquire the football skills. 4.08 1.17 81.58 5th
5 I feel positive towards my body aspect. 4.03 1.13 80.53% 7th
4 I feel myself one of the distinguished players in football. 4.00 0.90 80.00% 8th
13 I feel confident in my muscular capacities related to performance. 3.97 0.89 79.47% 9th
7 I feel myself stronger than those of my own age. 3.82 1.23 76.32% 10th
17 I feel confident in competition when exposed to regular body- 3.79 1.12 75.79% 11th
fitness programs related to the game.
21 I feel unable to use power in technical situations that require that. 3.79 0.91 75.79% 11th
27 I feel my body-fitness is high compared to my colleagues. 3.76 1.10 75.26% 13th
28 I feel sometimes my self-confidence is low when entering 3.74 1.13 74.74% 14th
competitions.
9 I feel unsatisfied sometimes about my body capacities. 2.76 1.42 55.26% 15th
16 I feel body strength when compared to my colleagues. 2.71 1.58 54.21% 16th
26 I feel I score high scores when conducting strength tests. 2.66 1.28 53.16% 17th
22 I feel the desire to feel tired when practicing football exercises. 2.26 1.22 45.26% 18th
29 I feel unconfident in my body fitness level. 2.26 1.13 45.26% 18th
10 I feel incompetent for practicing football game. 1.97 1.15 39.47% 20th
Total 3.53 0.37 70.6%
It is clear in the table, in regard to the scale of body self-esteem, that item (3), "I feel confident
whenever my body fitness is high", got the first place within the aspect of body self-esteem, gaining the highest
mean (4.53), with a percentage of (90.53%), followed by item (18), "I feel able to acquire the game skills fast",
in the second place, with a mean (4.18) and a percentage of (83.68%). However, item (14), which is "I feel proud
of the game-related body capacities I acquire", came in the third place gaining a mean of (4.11) and a percentage
of (82.11%).
Item (10), "I feel incompetent for practicing football game", got the last place within the items of body
self-esteem aspect, and it gained the least mean (1.97) with a percentage that reached (39.47%). Tow items (29,
22)," I feel unconfident in my body fitness level" and " I feel the desire to feel tired when practicing football
exercises" came before the last with a mean (2.26) and a percentage of (45.26%) for both, while the items of
body self-esteem aspect got a total mean that reached (3.53) and a percentage of (70.6%). According to grades
that assess means, the entire mean for the items of this aspect refers to high degree. That could be ascribed to the
evident role of body activity in improving the concept of body self-esteem among female players, especially that
most of these items are related to the game skills and abilities. That is consistent with what Leanne and Anne
(2009) referred to in that practitioners of sportive games have a higher degree of body self-esteem, and it is also
consistent with (Hu’lyu, 2001) who pointed out that the level of body self-esteem has improved among female
adolescents within the experimental group more than the control group, and that the adolescents who practice
body activities reveal less worry compared to those who don't practice. schneider et.al (2008) indicated that the
body activity is considered a promotional way for improving self-concept, while DeBate et.al (2009) said that
the body activity may cause beneficial changes for self-esteem, satisfaction with the body size, commitment to
body activity, and repetition of body exercises. On the other hand, Ann-Marie, Ailsa, Samantha and Joan
(2009).found that the level of sportive games (elite, competitive, non-sport) has a positive relationship with body
competence and self-concept of appearance, as well as general and entire body self-esteem. The statistical
analysis among the non-sportive persons and each of the competitive group and elite group revealed the
existence of differences in favor of the 2 groups of sportive persons.
To achieve the second objective, which refers to "identify the level of physical self-esteem among the
female players of fustal -football in Jordanian clubs", means, standard deviations and percentages were
calculated as indicated in table (3).

106
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.6, No.11, 2015

Table 3 .Means, standard deviation and percentages for the items of the physical self-esteem scale and the
aspects as a whole
No. Item Mean SD Percentage % rank
1 I feel my body external appearance is better than that of many of 3.95 1.06 78.95% Ist
my colleagues.
2 I feel my body muscles are bigger than that of those who are the 3.92 0.91 78.42% 2nd
same age.
19 I feel other players admire the shape of my body. 3.87 0.94 77.37% 3rd
11 I feel others' admiration of my external appearance. 3.87 1.09 77.37% 3rd
25 I feel the shape of my body is not seen good by others. 3.82 0.93 76.32% 5th
15 I feel shy of my body when wearing little clothes. 3.74 1.22 74.74% 6th
20 I feel highly confident of my body external appearance. 3.74 0.98 74.74% 6th
23 I feel the desire to be an essential player in the team because of my 3.47 1.18 69.47% 8th
body features.
6 I find it difficult to preserve my body external appearance. 3.11 1.11 62.11% 9th
Total 3.72 0.52 74.4%
It is clear in the table, in regard to the scale of physical self-esteem, that item (1), "I feel my body
external appearance is better than that of many of my colleagues ", got the first place within the aspect of
physical self-esteem, with the highest mean (3.95) and a percentage of (78.95%), followed by item (2), " I feel
my body muscles are bigger than that of those who are the same age" in the second place, with a mean (3.92) and
a percentage (78.42%), whereas item (19), " I feel other players admire the shape of my body", came third with a
mean (3.78) and a percentage (77.37%).
On the other hand, item (6), "I find it difficult to preserve my body external appearance", came last in
the order of the physical self-esteem aspect, getting a mean that was (2.11) and a percentage of (62.11). Item (23),
which is “I feel the desire to be an essential player in the team because of my body features", came before the
last, with a mean (3.47) and a percentage (69.47). Also, item (20), "I feel highly confident of my body external
appearance", got the rank before with a mean (3.47) and (74.74%), whereas the items of physical self-esteem
aspect gained a total mean that was (3.72) with a percentage of (74.4%).
According to grades that assess means, the entire mean for the items of this aspect refers to a high
degree. That could be ascribed to the benefit of body activity represented by sports in improving the individual's
general physical aspects, external appearance and the psychological aspect related to this field. This is consistent
with what has been pointed out in several previous studies like the study of (Leanne & Anne, 2009), (Hu’lyu,
2003) and (Bih-Ching, Wei-Ming, Shih-Ming & Shin-Yi 2007) which referred to the direct impact of body
activity on improving self-concept and physical and psychological self-esteem. Moreover, the clubs' and
federations' interest contributed effectively to developing and promoting the concept of body self-esteem and the
players' appearance, and that was mentioned by (Betul, 2014) study, in which he said that sportive and
recreational activities help girls avoid duality and contradiction as well as increasing self-confidence and self-
esteem. Kundu & Rani (2007) said that the good level of sport practicing improves the individual's body
perception and achievement, and that the high and positive level of self-esteem is related positively to the
individual's life so as to reach achievement.

3.1 Conclusions:
• Self-esteem level among football female players was within the medium range.
• Body and physical self-esteem levels were within the medium range although the physical self-esteem
level among female players was higher than the body self-esteem level.

3.2 Recommendations:
• Benefiting from the study findings and generalizing them among intended clubs and federations to
consider them.
• Focusing and reassuring the importance of self-esteem concept, and trying to reach higher levels.
• Exposing female players to courses, workshops and seminars aiming at improving and developing their
mental status and the concept of self-esteem.
• Conducting similar studies and considering larger domains of the concept of self-esteem.

References
Abdul Haq, Emad .(2000). Self-esteem upon male and female teams sport players in Palestinian university.
Journal of Bethlehem. 1 (19): 39-65.
Abu Farwah , Hashim .(2004), the relationship between anthropometric measurements and motor measurements
107
Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol.6, No.11, 2015

at youth soccer teams. unpublished Master Thesis. University of Jordan. Amman, Jordan.
Al- Ansari, Mona .(2002). Physical self- esteem Profile for high school female students in the Kingdom of
Bahrain. Journal of Educational and Psychological Sciences, University of Bahrain. 3 (3): 177 – 200.
Al-Daher, Kamal and Abdul Karim, Souad. (2001). Comparative study for physical and body self-esteem
concept between female players in handball, volleyball games. Journal of Physical Education. 10 (4):
147-166.
Andrew, Rice. (1998). Development of the Self across Time and Interactional Groups. Master Thesis, Faculty of
the Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. Blacksburg, Virginia.
Ann-Marie, Knowles; Ailsa, Niven; Samantha, Fawkner and Joan, Henretty.(2009).A longitudinal examination
of the influence of maturation on physical self-perceptions and the relationship with physical activity
in early adolescent girls. Journal of Adolescence. 32: 555-566.
Betul, Bayazit.(2014). The effect of recreational activities on self-esteem development of girls in adolescence,
Academic Journal. 9 (20): 920-942.
Bih-Ching, Shu; Wei-Ming, Luh; Shih-Ming, Li and Shin-Yi, Lu. (2007).Self-concept and menopause among
mid-life women: A survey in southern Taiwan. MATURITAS/ the European Menopause Journal. 57 ,
132–138 .
DeBate, RD; Pettee, K; Zwald M; Huberty J and Zhang Y. (2009). Changes in psychosocial factors and physical
activity frequency among third- to eighth-grade girls who participated in a developmentally focused
youth sport program: a preliminary study. The Journal School Health. 79(10):474-84.
Deeb, Mervat; Al- Orjan, Jaafar and Al-Kilani, Ghazi .(2009). Comparison study in locus of control at the
Jordanian young male and female players in the Clubs of Soccer. Al- Najah journal for research
(Humanities). 23 (4): 29-41.
Hassan, Thaer (2005). Physical and skill self-esteem and its relationship to accurately offensive performance
skills in volleyball. Journal of Physical Education. 14: (2) 145-174.
Hu¨lya, Asc.(2003).The effects of physical fitness training on trait anxiety and physical self-concept of female
university students. Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 4, 255–264.
James, Annesi. (2006).Relations of physical self-concept and self-efficacy with frequency of voluntary physical
activity in preadolescents: Implications for after-school care programming. Journal of Psychosomatic
Research. 61, 515– 520
Kikhany, Amer; Khamas, Reyad and Ebeed, Susan (2006). psychological fluency and their relationship to the
self skill concept for volleyball players in Iraq, the Journal of Education for Sports Sciences. (5): 1-11.
Kundu, SC and Rani S. (2007). Human resources self esteem across gender and categories: a study. Industrial
management and data system. 107(9): 1360-1390.
Leanne, Findlay and Anne, Bowker . (2009). The link between competitive sport participation and self-concept
in early adolescence: a consideration of gender and sport orientation. Journal of Youth
Adolescent.38(1):29-40.
Ounr, B. (2000). Development psychology. Image publishing. Ankara, turkey.
Patrick, Lau; Mike, Cheung and Lynda, Ransdell. (2008). A structural equation model of the relationship
between body perception and self-esteem: Global physical self concept as the mediator. Psychology of
Sport and Exercise. 9. 493–509.
Sayar, K.(2003). Self-esteem and personality in terms of cultural overview. New Symp. 41(2): 78-85.
Schneider, M; Dunton, GF and Cooper, DM. (2008). Physical Activity and Physical Self-Concept among
Sedentary Adolescent Females; An Intervention Study. Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 9(1):1-14.
Silverston, P and Salsali, M.(2003). Low self-esteem and psychiatric diagnosis. Annals of general hospital
psychiatry. 2 (2): 1-9.
Sophia, Jowett and Duncan, Cramer.(2009). The prediction of young athletes’ physical self from perceptions of
relationships with parents and coaches. Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 1- 8.
Yigiter, K .(2013). Improving the university student’s locus of control and self-esteem by participating in team
sport program. European Journal of Science and Research. 107(1): 64-70.

108
The IISTE is a pioneer in the Open-Access hosting service and academic event management.
The aim of the firm is Accelerating Global Knowledge Sharing.

More information about the firm can be found on the homepage:
http://www.iiste.org

CALL FOR JOURNAL PAPERS
There are more than 30 peer-reviewed academic journals hosted under the hosting platform.
Prospective authors of journals can find the submission instruction on the following
page: http://www.iiste.org/journals/ All the journals articles are available online to the
readers all over the world without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those
inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself. Paper version of the journals is also
available upon request of readers and authors.

MORE RESOURCES
Book publication information: http://www.iiste.org/book/
Academic conference: http://www.iiste.org/conference/upcoming-conferences-call-for-paper/

IISTE Knowledge Sharing Partners
EBSCO, Index Copernicus, Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, JournalTOCS, PKP Open
Archives Harvester, Bielefeld Academic Search Engine, Elektronische Zeitschriftenbibliothek
EZB, Open J-Gate, OCLC WorldCat, Universe Digtial Library , NewJour, Google Scholar